A young girl in MENA reflects on the challenges and joys of intentionally sharing her faith.
By Kristen Lukwaro
I love reading stories, especially Christian ones. With the encouragement of my parents, I decided to start sharing good Christian storybooks with my friends as a way to give them something good to read and also as a way to share my faith with them. I hoped they would enjoy the books just as I have enjoyed them.
So, my parents bought me extra copies of my favorite book series, such as the Bible Story set, Bedtime Stories, and Guide’s Greatest Stories. We made a plan that whenever any of my school or neighborhood friends had a birthday, I would give one of the books with a card–as my birthday present to them. This worked out well, so I kept on doing it.
However, I faced some challenges along the way. One of my friends returned the book I gave her, saying that her dad told her to return it as she is from a different faith and she cannot read Christian books. I was a bit discouraged, but my parents encouraged me that it was OK, as they must have read a little bit of the book in order for them to know that the stories in the book are Christian stories.
In school, we have a collection of books that are available for pupils and others to read. One day, as I was checking the collection for a book to read, I saw one of the books that I shared with my friends there. I realized that another of my school friends had not been allowed to keep her book, so the family decided to donate the book to the school. I was again disappointed, but my parents encouraged me that this is also good, as it gives a chance to many more people to have access to the book. And who knows how many people will read the book, as it is now part of the school’s book collection.
On another occasion, my mother received a birthday invitation for me from one of my friend’s moms. But the invitation said that the family already had two of my gift books, and they would appreciate it if they didn’t receive a third one–all they wanted was for me to be at the birthday party. That was also an interesting reaction to the books I shared, but I am glad that the family decided to keep the first two. I went to the birthday party, this time without a book, and they were happy that I attended.
I am very glad I am learning to share my faith with my friends. I enjoy when my mom bakes cookies and takes us to go with her to distribute them, along with Christian books, in our neighborhood. One of the moments I remember well happened during the Christmas season; we visited our neighbors as we distributed special Christmas packages which included special home-made cookies, a Christmas card, and some literature, namely, Amazing Facts’ Bible Study Lesson titled A Colossal City in Space, Keys to Happiness, and The Great Controversy.
One of our neighbors was very happy to see us, and he said that his family had recently returned to Australia, so he is all alone. He said it was good to have someone visit him, and that he felt the joy of Christmas with our visit.
I pray that the books we have shared will help someone to learn more about Jesus and to give their lives to Jesus. I pray that Jesus will continue to help me to share my faith with more people so that they also get to know Him.